


This is Crazy

by Jsq86



Series: Call Me Maybe [2]
Category: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec's POV, Dating, M/M, Malec, Sort Of, Texting, alec is a disaster gay, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22275757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jsq86/pseuds/Jsq86
Summary: Call Me Maybe from Alec's POV
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Call Me Maybe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603399
Comments: 7
Kudos: 136





	This is Crazy

“Alec? Aleeec?”

. . .

“Alexander Gideon!”

Alec looked up from his phone at the mention of his full name. 

“Max, what have I told you about that?” he asked irately.He hated when people used his full name, not to mention his _middle_ name.His little brother Max huffed out a breath and stomped his foot next to the couch Alec’s long, lean body was laid across. 

“Well you wouldn’t answer me,” Max whined. 

“What?” Alec asked gruffly, turning his gaze back to his phone, even though he wasn’t doing anything important.Just checking his socials…not that anyone ever contacted him.Though he supposed that was mostly his fault.He was pretty reclusive.Maybe that was why he was always stuck watching Max whenever his parents went out…

“Alec!”

“Oh my god, Max, WHAT?”

“Play video games with me? Pleeeeease?”

Alec rolled his eyes and swung his legs off the couch while Max bounded to the TV to get their game started, then handed Alec a controller.

They had been playing for about an hour when Alec’s phone chimed next to him on the floor, but he made no move to get it. 

“Aren’t you going to see who it is?” Max asked, keeping his eyes on the TV.His older brother was currently kicking his ass and he was hoping for a distraction. 

“Probably a wrong number,” Alec mumbled.The phone chimed again, but still he ignored it.

“Maybe it’s mom?” Max said. And this time Alec sighed because for one, Max was probably right, and for two, it was quite pathetic that his mom was the only person that ever contacted him. And he knew how bad it was to ignore a text from his mom.He paused the game, much to Max’s annoyance, and picked up the phone.    
  


**Can we meet up? I just got dumped and I want to drink until my body is made of 60% gin instead of water.  
  
**

Alec read the text again, and blinked.It was a wrong number, for sure, or at least not one that he recognized. 

“Who is it?” Max asked, staring over his shoulder, and Alec only shrugged.

“What’s gin?”

“It’s alcohol.”

“Who is it?” Max asked again.

“I don’t know. It’s a wrong number.”   
  


_I think you have the wrong number. But that doesn’t sound like a great plan. Gin tastes horrible. Sorry about you getting dumped. Have a nice day.   
  
_

Alec quickly texted back, then set the phone down and picked the controller back up, ready to continue whooping Max’s butt.But before he could even unpause the game, the phone chimed again. 

“Oh my god,” Max groaned, and Alec bit back a smile.   
  
  
**Sorry about that**

**New phone and lost all my contacts**

**All in working order now though**

**I thought I was texting a friend.Not sure where your number came from   
  
**

“Ok, dude,” Alec muttered to himself, and the corner of his mouth quirked up. He didn’t get texts from wrong numbers a lot, but when he did, they usually didn’t give him a whole explanation.   
  


_No worries.   
  
_

He went back to their game, tempted to turn the sound on his phone off.He wasn’t even sure why it was on; he normally left it on silent. 

It dinged again and Alec thought Max might actually throw the controller at him this time.   
  


**So what do you say? Drinks? I’m buying   
  
**

“What the fuck?” Alec laughed out loud. 

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Max. Don’t say fuck…and don’t tell mom I say fuck.”   
  


_Seriously?_ *Is this guy for real?* 

**No?  
  
**

He got up off the floor and sat back down on the couch, kind of in shock that some random stranger wanted to meet him for drinks.    
  


_Well…I don’t even know you_

_You could be a serial killer or something_

**I assure you i’m not**

_That’s just the thing a serial killer would say…  
  
_

The stranger sent back a laughing emoji and Alec couldn’t help breaking into a grin.

“Why are you smiling?” Max asked and climbed up on the couch to get a peek at Alec’s phone. 

“Who is that?” came his next question and he leaned over Alec’s shoulder. 

“Come on, Max, you’re crowding me,” Alec said, annoyed, and he stood up to go to his room.He could hear Max whining from the living room as he walked down the hall and typed up another message. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he actually would’ve considered meeting this mystery person had he not been on babysitter duty.    
  


_Look, you seem nice, but I can’t tonight (and i’m not just saying that because I still don’t know who you are)._

**Got a hot date?** ;)

_Lol ah no. I’m actually watching my kid brother while my family is out_

**How very noble   
  
**

Alec fell onto his bed, his phone still in his hand, his eyes still glued to the screen, wondering who this person was and why they were continuing to text _him_ of all people. And who was he kidding? Even if he’d been free, he’d have never worked up the courage to meet a stranger. 

But Alec was intrigued.This person was obviously interested in talking, and Alec had nothing better to do, so why not indulge him?   
  


_I am sorry I couldn’t help you drown your misery in alcohol tonight_

_Want to talk about it? I’m pretty bored.   
  
_

The mystery person agreed, and Alec felt almost relieved that they had.He hardly ever talked to anyone outside his family.He learned the mystery someone was named Magnus, and he wanted to tell him how interesting a name that was, but he stopped himself.He also didn’t want to admit he was glad it was a guy.Not that he had a problem with girls — hell, he was awkward talking to anyone—but he definitely didn’t date girls. 

*What date, you weirdo? You don’t even know this person*

They exchanged information, and Alec learned Magnus was Indonesian, with dark skin and hair, and no living family, but lots of close friends.*Lucky*

He also learned that they lived relatively close to each other, and that Magnus’s girlfriend had dumped him, and Alec’s heart sank.If he’d been dating a girl, he wouldn’t be interested in Alec.*You don’t know that, dipshit. Maybe he likes girls _and_ guys?* “Yeah, maybe,” he said out loud to himself.

Magnus didn’t divulge much beyond that, and Alec could take a hint, not wanting to pry.

Magnus tried to get him to send him a selfie, but Alec had never really been in to taking pictures of himself.It didn’t stop Magnus from sending one of his own, though, and Alec laughed at the absurd SnapChat filter he’d used.And even though most of his face was obscured, and probably heavily airbrushed, he still looked stunningly attractive. 

“Wow,” he breathed, glad that he was alone, and he sent a blushing emoji. 

“Alec! Alec quick! Get it, get it!”

Alec jumped off the bed, his phone momentarily forgotten, and ran into the living room to find Max standing on the couch, pointing at something.He looked in the direction of his finger and saw a small black spider in the spot Max had just been sitting. His eyes widened and he felt his stomach drop.

“Gross, no way! You know I don’t like spiders! You get it!” Alec said as he jumped onto the couch next to his brother. 

“I don’t like them either!”

“Just put a cup over it!”

“I’m only 10! You’re like 30! You do it!”

Their shouting match went on for several minutes before Alec finally caved and stomped off to find the vacuum, while Max kept a close eye to make sure the tiny arachnid didn’t scurry away. When Alec got back, vacuum in hand, he stood on the couch with Max again, vacuum attachment extended as far as it would go, and sucked it up. He was pretty sure he screamed when the little bastard had started to run and hoped the sound of the vacuum had masked it. When he was sure the spider wouldn’t crawl back out, he turned the vacuum off and jumped back off the couch.

“You’re such a baby,” Max said as he sat back down on the floor.

“ _You’re_ the baby. Shut up.”

“YOU shut up.”

Alec rolled his eyes and stalked back to his room.

“And you scream like a girl!” he heard max shout from the living room. He stopped and ground his teeth, then continued walking to his room before throwing himself on the bed again.When he checked his phone, he saw several new messages from Magnus, sent a few minutes ago.   
  


**I have a feeling I may inadvertently pass out on you so I must unfortunately bid you goodnight.**

**But you still owe me a drink** ;)

**Are you free tomorrow?  
  
**

Alec’sstomach did a little dip at the invite, and before he could think too much about it, he’d responded.   
  


_Yeah I think that would be all right._

_When and where?  
  
_

Magnus sent him the location of a bar Alec knew of but had never actually been to, and the time, and Alec smiled and sent back a thumbs up emoji. 

Then his face fell.“What did I just do?”

—-

Alec hadn’t slept at all, his mind going over how dumb he’d been to say yes to a date. A date with a _stranger_. For all he knew, this Magnus could still be a serial killer. He could’ve found that picture online.He could’ve lied about _everything he said_.

It was much too early to be awake, in his opinion, but he stared at the ceiling wondering what he was going to do.When he heard footsteps outside his door he jumped up and threw it open to see Isabelle walking toward the living room.

“Isabelle!” he hissed and she turned and walked back, giving him a strange look.He couldn’t blame her.He probably looked a fright. 

“Iz, I’m freaking out,” he said and turned back to his room.

“What? Why? Is there a spider?” she looked around. 

“What? No,” he shook his head.“I have a blind date tonight but I don’t know what to do, I mean it’s not really a _blind_ date, like we talked, or rather texted, and I know his name, but we haven’t actually met, and I said yes when I should’ve said no, and now I’m freaking out because how can I go on a date with someone I don’t even know—"

“Alec,” Isabelle said, cutting him off.“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Alec took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair.“Ok, last night, I got a text from a wrong number, and we got to talking, and his name is Magnus,” he said, and when Isabelle raised an eyebrow at the name, he continued so she wouldn’t interrupt again. “And then he asked me if we could meet up tonight, and I said yes. Why? Why did I do that? This is crazy. I can’t go on a _date_ with this guy. What was I thinking?”

“Alec, you basically just described Grindr,” Isabelle said.“Oh wait, I forgot. You’re too good for Grindr.” She waved her hand flippantly and rolled her eyes, and Alec set his jaw in annoyance. 

“I never said I was _too good for it_ , I just—you know how I am around strangers.”

He sat down heavily on his bed and grabbed his phone, flipping it around in his hands anxiously. 

“Did he send you a selfie?” she asked as she sat down next to him.He pulled up the picture and showed her. 

“Wow,” she said, and laughed a little at the filter. 

“That’s what I said,” he grinned as she handed the phone back. 

“Did you send him one back?”

Alec only shook his head, and she raised both eyebrows at him. 

“And he still asked you out? He’s definitely a keeper then.”

“What does that mean?” Alec turned to glare at her. 

“Just that your personality can be a bit abrasive so your looks are basically the only thing you have going,” she said truthfully, and shrugged.

He scoffed, his mouth hanging open in offense.“What looks? And I do not have an abrasive personality. You know what? Get out.” He waved his hand toward the door, and Isabelle laughed.

“I’m just kidding. Calm down.” 

Alec hung his head and sighed, his leg bouncing up and down. 

“Wow, you’re really worried about this,” she pointed out. 

“What am I gonna do? I can’t go. I’ve never even been on a regular date, let alone a date with a complete stranger. But I can’t just not show up. I would feel awful.I just—I need more time, you know? To get to know him.” He hung his head again and wrapped his hands around the back of his neck. 

Isabelle hated seeing her brother beating himself up over things like this, so she was determined to help him.“What if you just told him something came up? And then talked some more tonight?” she suggested. 

Alec lifted his head and rubbed his hands down his face.“Yeah…yeah that could work,” he said quietly, mulling over the idea. He turned to face his sister again.

“But what if he asks what I was doing?”

“Then try not to be such a terrible liar.”

He scoffed again. “I am _not_ a terrible liar.”

“You are,” Isabelle said sympathetically.“You wear your heart on your sleeve, which isn’t a bad quality to have…unless you have to lie about something,” she smiled sweetly. 

He glared at her for several seconds before lifting his arm and pointing toward the door again.This time she laughed and stood up.

—-

It was fast approaching the time Alec was supposed to leave to meet Magnus, but he couldn’t do it.He was too anxious.Magnus sounded amazing, and he wanted nothing more than to meet him, but his anxiety was currently winning.He just needed a little more time to get to know him, that is, if Magnus wanted that.Alec knew that after he texted him, Magnus would brush him off.He’d probably already found someone else.

*Ok you either text him now, or you risk standing him up*

*You’re right. You’re _right_!*  
  


_Magnus I am so sorry, but something came up and I won’t be able to make it tonight :(  
  
_

As soon as Alec hit send, he fell over onto his bed feeling like shit. 

“Stupid brain. Can’t you shut up for just 5 minutes?” he grumbled to himself. “No wonder you’re always alone.”

His phone chimed and he looked at it.    
  


**No worries, darling :)**

**maybe another night  
  
**

He gave his phone a small smile, hoping Magnus was being as sincere as he sounded, and tried to make the situation better.   
  


_Maybe we can try again tomorrow?  
  
_

He was very much willing to try again tomorrow, provided they could talk some more.And to Alec’s relief, Magnus had agreed, and they decided on the same time and place.    
  


_I’m going to be busy for a few hours_

_But could i maybe text you when i’m free tonight?   
  
_

Alec didn’t really feel comfortable lying to Magnus again, and he would love to keep talking to him, but if he was supposed to be busy, he couldn’t very much be texting. 

Magnus answered back, saying he’d be delighted to continue their conversation later, and Alec chuckled. 

“Who’s Magnus?”

Alec yelped and his phone went flying.Jace caught it in nimble hands before it hit the floor. 

“What the hell, man?” Alec said as he glared and stood up.His adopted brother was like a ninja sometimes.It was annoying.They shared an apartment together a few blocks from their parents’ house.Alec stayed overnight at their house on occasion, especially when he was stuck babysitting, his old bedroom still in tact, though now he was home, having missed hearing Jace come in. 

“So who’s Magnus?” Jace asked again and handed Alec back his phone.Alec took it and shrugged. 

“Just a guy I met,” he said. 

“Is he the wrong number that you just blew off?”

“How do you know about that?”

Jace shrugged.“Max,” he said. 

“How does _Max_ know about that?”

“Isabelle.”

“I hate all of you,” Alec grumbled, and Jace only grinned. 

“So why’d you blow him off?”

Alec sat back down on his bed, still feeling awful about the whole thing.“I’m not like you and Isabelle.I can’t just hook up with random people.”

“Hey,” Jace said, sounding offended, and crossed his arms. 

“You know what I mean.” Alec laid down against his pillows, flinging an arm over his head. 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, man,” Jace said.“He sounds like he really wants to meet you, so just give him a chance.Anyway, I’m ordering Chinese, you want some?”

“Sure,” Alec said glumly, and followed Jace to the living room. 

—-

A few hours later, Alec was seated on the couch next to Jace staring intently at his phone.

“What now?” Jace asked around a mouth full of fortune cookie. 

“I just…I’ve never dated anyone, ever.What if he doesn’t like me because I’m too inexperienced?”

“How would he even know that unless you told him?”

Alec flopped back against the couch cushions.“Please, have you met me? It would be glaringly obvious.” He fidgeted with his phone, trying to decide what to text Magnus, while at the same time feeling like it was pointless.Magnus seemed really great.There was no way he would go for someone like Alec if he actually knew him.

“Alec, bro, you are _way_ over thinking this,” Jace said helpfully next to him. 

“Jace, have you _met_ me?” Alec asked again, “That’s literally the only way of thinking I have.”

Jace was getting tired of the self-deprecating humor from his adoptive brother.Without asking, he plucked the phone from Alec’s hands and sent Magnus a quick text. 

“Jace, what the fuck??”

“There ya go, problem solved,” he said and handed the phone back. Alec looked at his messages.   
  


_Hey :)_   
  


“You’re cleaning that up now,” Alec said angrily and pointed to the mess of Chinese food before he stood and walked back to his room. 

“You’re welcome!” came Jace's shouted reply, and Alec rolled his eyes. His phone dinged and he looked down.   
  


**Hello :)  
  
**

His heart gave a little flutter.Ok, so maybe Jace had helped him out a little, but he’d never admit it. Going back to his bed, they texted back and forth easily, and to Alec’s relief, Magnus never asked him what he’d been doing all night.    
  


**Here’s a thought**

**What if we FT?**

  
Alec’s stomach sank.He hated Face Time even more than he hated selfies.He typed and retyped several responses before deciding on _I don’t know…_

*Nice one, idiot*  
  


**What?**

**You’re not horribly disfigured or something, r u? ;)**

**Because if you are, then I might need to take a raincheck on the date tomorrow…**

**Jk jk  
  
**

Alec laughed at that.But he always felt too self-conscious to Face Time.He wasn’t horribly disfigured, but he’d never thought anything about his looks, and even with a wacky filter, Magnus was ten times more attractive than Alec was.He was scared whatever this was would fizzle out before it even got started if Magnus saw him now.

  
_Lol_

_It’s not that_

_I’m just kind of…awkward when it comes to cameras_

_Sorry :(  
  
_

It didn’t look like Magnus was going to respond, and now Alec really felt like shit. He typed a string of messages in quick succession, hoping he could turn the situation around.

  
_But u could call me maybe_

_If that’s ok_

_Only if u want to tho_

_No pressure_

  
Alec stared wide-eyed at the screen.

*Oh god. Why did I do that? Now he’s going to call me!*

*You told him to call you, dummy!*

Just then his phone started ringing and he fumbled it before opening the call.

“Magnus?” he said, a little breathless.

“Alexander, hi,” came Magnus’s voice, and he sounded breathless too, and Alec’s whole body did a weird tingle when Magnus said ‘Alexander’ which he’d always hated, but hearing it come from Magnus gave it a whole new meaning.

“Sorry, I hope this is ok,” Alec said after he realized he’d been silent for several seconds. 

“Of course it’s okay, Alec.I only hope I didn’t overstep my boundaries by suggesting we Face Time.”

“No, no, of course not.I just…worry that once you see me…you won’t want to meet me in person.”

“Well goodness, Alexander, you can’t be _that_ bad looking,” Magnus chuckled on the other end, and Alec laughed lightly.

“No! I—I don’t think so, anyway. I’m just…ordinary,” Alec said truthfully, and shrugged.“And you sound so…” Alec struggled to find the word.Un-Alec, he wanted to say.

“ _Extra_ ordinary?” Magnus quipped, and Alec laughed. 

“Ok, sure.”

He sat down on the bed, still smiling, and could hear rustling on the other end.He wondered what Magnus was doing, and whether he was still upset that Alec had cancelled. 

“Alexander,” Magnus said gently after the rustling had stopped, “I can tell you’re anything but ordinary. And I can assure you that I am very eager to meet you, and that it has nothing to do with what I think you’ll look like.And I don’t regret accidentally texting you.I’ve only done the whole dating app thing a handful of times, but I’ve never been this head over heels for someone before….and that made me sound really lame, sorry.”

Alec’s breath caught in his throat.He was shocked at what Magnus had said, a little surprised that someone he hardly knew could have such deep feelings for him already.For someone like Alec. And he felt the same way too, but Magnus was _Magnus_ , and Alec was just...Alec. 

“No, it’s—it’s ok.Listen, I have to confess something,” he said quietly. He closed his eyes and resolved to tell Magnus the truth, to give him the the opportunity to bail if he didn’t want to be with someone so inexperienced. He didn’t want to make Magnus go through all of this for nothing. He hoped it wouldn’t be a deal breaker, but he was terrified that it would be.

“I’ve never actually dated anyone,” Alec continued, “and it’s not because there’s anything wrong with me, I just never take the opportunity, and I never really saw the appeal.But you…I’m glad you accidentally texted me, too.”

He held his breath, and to his relief, Magnus didn’t care.And Alec wasn’t sure, but it sounded as if Magnus were smiling.He exhaled silently, and they talked late into the night, and agreed to finally meet the next day.

—-

“Ok.I’m doing this. This is crazy, but I’m doing it.”

Alec paced back and forth in front of his couch as Jace silently watched him, his head going back and forth as it followed Alec. 

“Jace, how am I doing this?” Alec asked, stopping and wringing his hands together.“What if he doesn’t like me?”

“Alec, bro, you need to chill,” Jace said.Alec looked wild and crazed, which Jace thought was a little over the top.“He’s just a guy, a guy who you haven’t even technically met.”

“Yeah but it’s _Magnus_.Even his name is cooler. What kind of a guy with the name Magnus dates someone named _Alec_?” he practically spat his own name. 

“Speaking of dating, shouldn’t you have left by now?”

Crazed and wild eyed, Alec looked at his phone and sure enough, he had to leave right then if it meant being on time.

“YES. Yes. It does.” He started to walk to the door, stopped, then turned back and fell into the armchair, his head in his hands. 

“I can’t.”

“OH MY GOD, ALEC,” Jace said and stood up.“Do I have to take more initiative like I did with the text last night?”

Alec jumped out of the chair and was gone before Jace could utter a laugh. 

—-

“Um, not to sound urgent, but is there any way we could take a different route?” Alec asked the cab driver.The traffic was at a standstill, which was unusual for a weekday, and if he didn’t hurry, he would be late.Really late. On his first ever date. His first ever date with Magnus.

The cab driver just shrugged and shook his head, peering at Alec through the review mirror. 

“Shit,” Alec muttered under his breath as he looked at his phone.He pulled up his maps app and saw it was a 20 minute walk to the bar.Maybe he could run.But maybe the traffic would start moving.The taxi moved an inch. 

He sent Magnus a quick text to let him know he was stuck in traffic, and received one a few seconds later stating he was in traffic too.Alec had opted to walk and was just about to get out when a loud crack of thunder boomed overhead, and rain began pelting the taxi from outside. 

“Seriously?” Alec said as he peered out the window.If he walked now, he would be drenched.Magnus texted back, and they agreed to take another raincheck.Alec sighed and slumped back against the cab seat, then got out and and trudged home in the rain. 

“What happened?” Jace asked from the couch as Alec clambered through the door. 

“It’s raining,” Alec said and fell back against the door.Jace only quirked an eyebrow. 

“So?”

“So maybe I don’t want to meet the potential love of my life looking like a drowned rat,” Alec countered. 

“Potential love of your life? Really?”

It dawned on Alec what he’d just said, and he pushed himself off the door.“I’m going to bed,” he sighed and walked past Jace without explanation.

—-

After Alec had showered, he’d called Magnus again, and they once more set a plan for the next evening. 

“I’m starting to think maybe the universe doesn’t want us to meet,” Alec laughed, though secretly he felt as if their not meeting was his fault, and this was the universe’s way of punishing him for bailing the first time.Now they were destined to make raincheck after raincheck, their plans forever postponed until they were both dead.

“Oh god, don’t jinx it!” Magnus cried, and it sounded like he’d done some kind of dramatic maneuver, and Alec laughed harder. 

“Sorry,” he apologized. 

He heard rustling on the other end of the line, and wondered if Magnus were in bed too.Then he wondered what Magnus wore to bed.Alec bet he looked like a bronze god, with miles of brown skin over taut muscle, and he closed his eyes.

“We were destined to meet, I’m sure of it,” Magnus added, and Alec snapped out of his reverie.“Why else would the universe have had me text you? Of all the numbers? I bet you can’t answer that, my skeptical friend.”

“You’re right, I can’t.But I hope that you _are_ right.”

Alec readjusted himself, now uncomfortable in his current position. 

“Do you believe in fate?” he wondered. 

“I don’t know,” Magnus said.“Fate is kind of being a bitch at the moment.”

And Alec cracked up at the comment.It was hard to get him to laugh, but Magnus was able to make him laugh almost every time they talked, and they talked long into the night, until they both fell asleep. 

—- 

Alec stared at himself in the bathroom mirror.He looked…all right, in his opinion.He’d brushed his hair, and his shirt had no visible holes in it, which was more effort than he usually put into his outfits. But regardless of how he looked, he was meeting Magnus today.No matter what.He felt himself starting to sweat, so he stalked out of the bathroom.Jace was currently on his own date, so Alec no longer had someone to kick him in the pants if he started to freak out again.

*You’re not going to freak out. Just grab your shit, and go, and stop overthinking*

“Right, ok. Grab my shit and go. No overthinking.”

He took his chances with a taxi again, and to his luck, he arrived at their meeting place right on time.Glancing around the inside of the building, he couldn’t make out any tall, dark skinned, spiky-haired guys, so he took a seat at the bar to wait, then checked his phone for good measure.There were no messages from Magnus, but Alec had the feeling someone like Magnus liked to be fashionably late.So he waited.

—-

Alec wasn’t exactly sure how long “fashionably late” was, but 20 minutes seemed excessive.He turned and watched the door every so often, hoping to see someone who fit Magnus’s description stroll through it, but no one ever did.He held his phone in his hands, waiting for a call, a message, anything that would indicate Magnus was on his way, was stuck in traffic, had changed his mind, was not coming, because it was Alec and he had realized what a mistake he was making meeting up with a loser like Alec who’d never been on a date before and wasn’t worth the time and energy

“Stop it,” he muttered to himself, and closed his eyes, feeling that familiar sting behind his lids. 

“Sorry?”

His eyes snapped open to see the bartender standing in front of him, wiping out a glass with a dishrag.“Did you say something?” she asked.

“N-no, sorry,” he stammered. 

“You’ve been sitting here awhile.Can I get you anything?”

Alec shook his head.“No, I’m, uh, I was waiting for someone.But I don’t think they’re coming.”

She tilted her head sympathetically and frowned.“Aw, sorry. But don't worry. Happens to the best of us.” Alec made a face as she was flagged down by another patron, and she walked away.

He sighed, and glanced at the clock behind the bar.It had been almost half an hour. 

*how long are you going to sit here by yourself before you have enough sense to leave?*

*i don’t know. What’s the protocol for being stood up?*

*Man, just go. This is pathetic*

Alec chanced one more look at his phone before leaving, and low and behold, there was a message from Magnus. _Several_ messages from Magnus. He frowned and read through them.    
  


**Alec I am so sorry but i'm on the subway and it's currently stopped!**

**Like literally stopped! not moving at all**

**shit my messages aren't sending!**

**why do i pay for LTE??**

**The lights aren't even on and we're still stopped and i'm pretty sure someone is touching me...**

**i am so sorry please don't leave**

**wait i think we are moving again?!**

**OMW!**   
  


The last message had a time stamp of 5 minutes earlier, so Alec thought this would be a good time to run to the bathroom.Being nervous always made him have to pee.

He quickly got up and found the bathroom, then after he’d gone, and washed his hands, he made sure he looked halfway decent in the bathroom mirror, took a deep breath, and walked back out. 

He scanned the room again as he made his way back to his seat at the bar, but as he got closer, he saw someone sitting in it.The man was thin, with spiky black hair, and he was currently digging the palms of his hands into his eyes, then to Alec’s surprise, he pushed himself away from the bar as if to leave. 

“Magnus?” Alec asked, before the man could walk away.His head snapped up as he stopped, and took in Alec standing before him.Before he said anything, the man practically fell from the bar stool, grabbed Alec’s face in his hands, and kissed him. 

And…wow. Alec had never kissed anyone before, but he could tell why people liked it so much. He felt soft lips against his own, and fingers threaded through his hair as his own hands found their way to the waist in front of him, and he wished he could stay like that all night. 

“Get a room!”

They pulled away from each other abruptly.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Wow. I certainly hope you _are_ Magnus, otherwise this is awkward,” Alec said, and chuckled. 

“Yes! It’s me. Magnus. I am him,” apparently Magnus nodded. “I’m sorry, I don’t usually get this flustered around people,” he added and rubbed his forehead, “so kudos to you, Alexander.”

Alec felt his heart flutter, both at the fact that _he_ was making someone like Magnus flustered, and Magnus calling him Alexander.

“I should tell you, I don’t let just anyone call me that,” he said as he gave Magnus a tiny grin and ducked his head shyly. When he looked up he saw Magnus’s lips part slightly, and a tinge of red staining his brown cheeks, and the look he gave Alec was unlike any look anyone had ever given him. 

“I’m so sorry I’m late, I got stuck on the subway, and then I thought that you left—“

“It’s ok,” Alec cut him off.“I got your text a few minutes ago and then went to the bathroom.”

“How about a drink then?” Magnus suggested, and Alec could only smile.

——

“You know, it’s weird,” Alec said, after the bartender had brought their drinks: a beer for Alec, which he took a sip of and immediately made a face, and something clear with olives in it for Magnus. 

“My whole life I always felt like something was missing.But now I realize it wasn’t some _thing_ , it was some _one_. It was you.Is that cheesy? I’m sorry,” he buried his face in his hands, and felt his skin flush. 

His head snapped up as he felt a hand touch his knee.

“It’s not cheesy at all,” Magnus said, and just by his tone, Alec could tell he was being sincere, and he tilted his head at Alec with affection. 

Alec cleared his throat, flustered by Magnus’s hand still on his knee, and Magnus’s presence in general.“So, since this is technically, like, our third date, maybe we could, I don’t know, get out of here?” he suggested.

Magnus swallowed and nodded.“I think that would be ok. Yes. We should get out of here.”

——

They decided to go back to Magnus’s apartment, barely making it the whole elevator ride before throwing themselves at one another, then stumbled through the doorway, kissing and clutching at each other. 

“Dios!” someone shouted, and a boy, who looked several years younger than Magnus, with a mop of messy black hair, jumped from the couch.He dropped a bowl on the coffee table and glared at them.To Alec’s dismay, Magnus pulled away from him, and yanked a handful of bills out of his pocket, which he quickly thrust at the boy. 

“Here. Go to a movie or something. My treat,” Magnus said, and spun the boy toward the door.The boy ground his heels into the floor and turned back to face him. 

“You can’t just kick me out whenever you want, Bane. This is my apartment too,” he said stubbornly and crossed his arms. 

“Fine, don’t leave then.But I should warn you that I am very loud when I have sex.How about you, Alec? Are you loud when you have sex?”

“We’ll find out,” Alec shrugged. Alec didn’t know how loud he was, since he’d never had sex before, and he didn’t particularly like talking about his non-existent sex life in front of whoever this grumpy stranger was, but he could definitely be loud in bed if it meant the grumpy stranger would leave.

The boy stood there for a beat, shoved the bills into his pocket, then turned and left, slamming the door behind him.Magnus turned back to Alec, his white teeth gleaming in a wide grin, then crossed the room, and grabbed Alec’s hand. Alec happily followed as Magnus hauled him toward what he hoped was the bedroom. 

When they got there, Magnus shoved Alec backwards onto the bed, and Alec watched as Magnus climbed over him.Alec’s heart thundered in his chest, anticipation washing over him as he took in Magnus’s features: his unusual gold-green eyes, his spiky hair, which was surprisingly soft and not crunchy like Alec had imagined, his lithe but toned body, and his soft lips that Alec had already kissed more times than he could remember. Those soft lips that had spoken to Alec on the phone night after night, as they spilled their lives and secrets to each other.Alec had wanted to kiss those lips before he’d even seen them, and he could only smile up at Magnus now as Magnus leaned down to kiss him once more.And though Alec was eager with anticipation, he let Magnus kiss him slowly—they had all night after all—and he felt those soft lips smiling against his own. 

He wondered if people might think he was crazy, pursuing a relationship that had started out as a wrong-number text message. But Alec knew at first sight of Magnus in the bar that this was real.The ferocity of his loneliness hit him like of ton of bricks then, and maybe the universe had known all along that it was Magnus Alec was supposed to be with, and he’d just had to endure the pain and loneliness until he found him. 

“I know we technically just met,” he whispered as they both pulled apart for air, “but I missed you so bad.”His voice caught in his throat, and Magnus’s eyes widened. Alec instantly regretted his words then, and hoped he hadn’t just ruined his only chance with Magnus by confessing something so intimate. 

Magnus lifted his hand, his thumb gently caressing Alec’s cheek, and he held Alec’s gaze in his own.“I know, my love,” he whispered back.“Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yay or nay? 
> 
> Find me on tumblr  
> @my-archerboy  
> 🖤💙


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